Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand is the first book in the Clone Chronicles series and I have to say that once I dove into this story I was hooked! The pacing was great, the characters were interesting, and the story kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next.

Ven is a clone of Raven Rogen and has been raised to replace her “authentic” if and when the need ever arises. When the time does come that Ven is called to step into her authentic’s shoes, she realizes that things aren’t really what she thought they would be.

I liked Ven as a character. She is smart and caring but she also sees the big picture and understands that she has a role to play. I loved seeing her character grow – she was always taking those she loves under her wings to help them but now she is faced with doing this on a larger scale while at the same time trying to keep herself out of danger.

Fairly quickly we are introduced to Linc, Raven Rogen’s (now Ven’s) bodyguard and he immediately realizes something is different about Raven. As Ven and Linc spend more time together, they both begin to realize things (and people) aren’t always what they seem. Linc has definitely had some struggles in life but he sees the good in Ven and is willing to do whatever he can to support her and get her out of harm’s way. I loved that he also looked at the bigger picture and although he wasn’t happy about Ven putting herself in danger, he was willing to help her no matter what.

This was a quick and fast-paced read that was filled with action. I was unable to put this one down and definitely thankful that I had book two waiting for me on my Kindle considering once I got to the end of this one, I needed to know what was going to happen next. Definitely check this out!

Thank you to Netgalley and Alloy Entertainment for the review copy!